A Detroit woman was killed early Saturday morning while presumably asking for help after her car broke down and her cell phone died. Renisha McBride, 19, was shot in the head with a shotgun on the front porch of a house in Dearborn Heights while, according to her family, seeking help after a car accident. They claim that McBride, an African-American, was a victim of racial profiling.

Police have identified the man who fired the shot but have not released his identity. On Wednesday, they asked the county prosecutor to issue a warrant for his arrest, but the prosecutor sent it back, with a spokesperson stating, "We have requested further investigationby the police that must be submitted to our office before a decision will be made."

As Gawker notes, Michigan has self-defense legislation similar to Florida's controversial "stand your ground" law, which was frequently brought up surrounding the George Zimmerman-Trayvon Martin trial, and the incident bears resemblance to an incident in Charlotte, North Carolina, in mid-September, in which a man seeking assistance was shot and killed by police.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at brian.feldman42@gmail dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire. < style="width: 134px; height: 20px;" id="twitter-widget-0" ="twitter-follow- twitter-follow-" title="Twitter Follow " ="http://plat.twitter.com/widgets/follow_.1383343979.#_=1383884975180&id=twitter-widget-0&lang=en&screen_name=BAFeldman&show_count=false&show_screen_name=true&size=m" Border="0" allowTransparency="true" scrolling="no" -twttr-rendered="true">Brian Feldman

It really is time for us to take over one state and kick out all of the yts. Not Florida though.

sign me up!!

it's like he shot her knowing full well he wouldn't get arrested.

UGH this is exactly what that guy that created the wire predicted would happen. He said the Trayvon Martin not guilty verdict was a travesty in American history and we will soon see an increase prevalence of these cases referring to it as "open season" following the verdict. I was hoping he was exaggerating with that line and that people will be more careful with gun use, but nope he's right. He's white so he knows the mentality of whites better than I do. This is just sad.

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